Verstappen labels US GP qualifying as one of his ‘worst’
Red Bull’s Max Verstappen has labelled his qualifying ahead of the Formula 1 US Grand Prix as ‘one of the worst’ in 2017, as he ended the session sixth.
Verstappen carried a 15-place grid penalty into qualifying as a result of multiple power unit component changes. His result was therefore academic.
Regardless, Verstappen rued mistakes made in Q3 that cost him lap time and left him sixth in the session. He was out-qualified by team-mate Daniel Ricciardo for only the sixth time in 2017.
“I made some mistakes in Q3, it’s as simple as that,” said Verstappen.
“I should have been with Sebastian [Vettel]. But it’s easy to say now, that I should have been there but if you make two reasonably big mistakes, it’s not what you want.
“Of course, I’m not happy with myself – it’s definitely one of the worst qualifying sessions of the year.”
Elaborating on the ‘mistakes’ made in Q3, he added; “It was tricky out there. You try a little more on the last run and then have a little moment and then the next corner is not great.
“Then in the last sector you try to recover the lost lap time, then lock-up again. So, not ideal.”
Starting from 17th once penalties are applied, Verstappen will complete the first stint on the super-soft tyre. He set his fastest time in Q2 on the harder compound to open up more strategic options in the race.
However, Verstappen has downplayed his chances for Sunday, suggesting that his strategic advantage will be nullified by having to battle through the field.
“The first few laps you usually lose quite a lot of time to them so we’ll see. I’ll try to at least come back to sixth.”